


All-Nighter

by AnonymousArchive



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Awesome Facial Hair Bros, Books, Developing Friendships, Exams, First Meetings, Fluff, Gossip, I'm Bad At Tagging, IronStrange, Late at Night, Library, Light-Hearted, M/M, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot, POV Stephen Strange, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Reputations, Rumors, Short, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Stephen Strange-centric, Stephen-centric, Students, Studying, all-nighters, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 07:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19001368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousArchive/pseuds/AnonymousArchive
Summary: In preparation for exam week, Stephen finds himself holed up in the library, sharing his book-filled desk with an unlikely study buddy.





	All-Nighter

**Author's Note:**

> I found that I enjoy reading University AUs so I thought, hey why not write one?

Tony Stark had quite the reputation.

Given his cocky nature and extravagant lifestyle brought by his wealth, it came as no question that he was the talk of the school. Rumours of one night stands and wild parties that would last up to dawn would often find its way through the hallways of even the most prestigious university. The gossip often led to either admiration or distate for Tony, and Stephen found himself agreeing to the latter.

He was a man who valued education, hardwork, and work ethic. A stark (pun intended) contrast to the billionaire’s son, he didn’t spend his time mingling away at frat parties or schmoozing it up with the ladies. Instead, he would be hanging at the library, surrounded by the peaceful quiet while he pours his hours away on countless medical journals on neurology. 

It could be said that he’d traded away his social life (Wong would often remind him), but he knew he had to keep pushing for success. He enrolled to broaden his knowledge after all, and not to make some friends. Besides, there was something rather respectable about being amongst the geniuses in his field, and he was hoping to cling to that up until graduation.

So when he gets a mark that’s merely above average on his most recent quiz, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. His efforts were clearly not enough, and with exams coming up, he knew he had to push himself further in order to salvage his grade. 

With that, his regular afternoon study sessions turned to all-nighters.

And it is during this shift of schedule that he finds none other than Tony Stark himself carrying a bunch of books in his arms, his backpack slung on his shoulder.

Surprised, all Stephen could do is stop from his note-taking to instead stare back, mouth slightly agape.

Tony takes this awkward pause as a sign to clear his throat, before nodding towards the seat directly across the med student. “Is this seat free?”

He didn’t understand why the man had chosen his spot of all places to study, but a quick glance around the library told him that this was the only desk with good lighting that wasn’t fully occupied. That observation was rather amusing, but came as no shock. It was almost exam week after all, so it made sense that people would flock here at the last second — including Tony Stark.

It would be rude to deny him use of the school facilities, so in his deep baritone voice, Stephen replied, “...Yes.”

“Thank you,” Tony mumbled in a rush, attention focused more towards placing the volumes in his hand down as quietly as possible.

The taller man watched the other settle into his seat, before he returned to his books and notes.

At first, Tony was rather stiff in his actions, afraid to disturb the rather concentrated student before him. However, after a while, he soon found his familiar rhythm of work, and what once was just a space filled with sounds of turning pages and pen on paper now had an addition of quiet mumbles.

It was conductive learning environment, and the two happily poured over their reading materials throughout the late hours of the night.

Until of course sleep deprivation took its toll on Stephen, and he finds himself rereading the same paragraph at least four times.

“Fucking—” he exclaimed in irritation, before remembering his companion and catching himself.

The beginnings of an apology were right on his lips, however the moment he locked eyes with Tony he found the words dying. The man was amused, gaze lifted from his own resources and trained on what should be a weary expression.

“You look like shit,” Tony inquired quietly, the amusement clearly laced in his tone.

“No kidding,” Stephen replied sarcastically, rubbing a hand on his face in the hopes of waking himself up.

“Coffee helps,” he said, ignoring the other’s sarcasm. “You should have had at least three cups before coming here.”

“I’ll make a mental note for next time,” he mumbles back, before resting his chin on his hand and squinting down at the eloquent words that seemed to be hazy in the moment.

He keeps trying to progress, squinting more and more at the text, but his exhaustion kept catching him off guard. His head was just getting harder and harder to hold up, his eye lids drooping almost every second. He only had an inkling of resolve to study left — the temptation of sleep was getting too hard to resist.

Noticing his dilemma, Tony speaks, “Do you need your caffeine kick now? I have a tumbler.”

“What—” he starts before cutting himself off with a yawn.

This causes the other man to laugh, earning them both about three shushes from other studying pairs.

“Anyway,” Tony talks again, this time much more silently, “you’re clearly struggling to stay awake.”

“I can… see that…” Stephen groggily replied, still full of sarcasm.

The engineering student ignores it for a second time, choosing instead to zip open his bag to offer his metal container. “Here, drink it. It’s coffee, black.”

He eyes the jug skeptically, raised eyebrow directed at Tony.

As if sensing his suspicions, the other man sighed. “I promise you it’s a good brew of coffee, nothing else.”

Without a word, Stephen relented, holding the tumbler in his hands and taking a tentative sip. At the taste of the bitter yet delectable beverage, he couldn’t help but drink the still hot liquid rather too enthusiastically. Tony took that as a victory, a small smile on his lips as he watched his study partner.

After a quiet moment of only Stephen’s gulping, he hands back the tumbler a bit hesitantly. “Thank you,” he speaks in a raspy voice, one of the remaining hints of his sleepy self.

Tony’s smile only grew at this as he tucked the jug away. “Of course.”

They then went back to their own respective worlds, with Tony reading up on mechanics and physics while Stephen poured over human anatomy and health sciences.

The med student was still struggling, of course — a heavy dose of coffee wasn’t instantly going to wipe away his drowsiness. However, he was faring much better than earlier, being able to concentrate yet again and get a few helpful notes scribbled into his binder. It made him feel less on edge, being able to progress yet again.

Their hours of progress soon reach the daylight, the sun rising and allowing a soft glow to enter the dim library space. It shakes Stephen out of concentration a slight bit, his eyes flying towards the orange hues of the dawn, still disbelieving that he actually stayed up throughout the night.

His gaze then shifts towards his overnight companion, who was still mumbling slightly to himself while adding notes on what seems like a blueprint.

He kept watching, finding himself amazed at how this man whom he thought was nothing but a hardcore party animal and conceited womanizer was incredibly focused on his engineering work, pencil tucked behind his ear while he kept muttering math equations under his breath. He always questioned how Tony kept his grades consistent despite his outside affairs, but seeing him in his zone right now felt like enough of an answer already.

Probably feeling watched, Tony shifted his head up with a cocked eyebrow, a silent question flying between them.

“Sorry,” Stephen said immediately, feeling the blush of embarrassment growing.

“Had enough medical mumbo-jumbo for the night?” Tony joked instead, taking the pencil from his ear and toying with it as he leaned back on his seat.

“You could say that,” Stephen replied, humouring the man across him. “It was a damn long night, after all.”

“Is it your first time pulling off an all-nighter?”

He raised his eyebrows at that. “And it’s not yours?”

“It might come as a shock, but no,” he replied cockily. “Contrary to popular belief, I don’t spend my nights fucking around.”

Stephen gaped at that. Tony took the reaction in stride.

“I know what people say about me, and I’m sure you’re among the crowd that has heard,” he starts, eyes flying to the pencil he’s been twirling around. “But the parties and the flings are a thing of the past. What is said in the rumour mill up to date is likely just a bunch of lies at this point.”

Stephen treaded lightly, sensing the sensitivity of the topic at hand. “I’m sorry, I obviously didn’t know you well enough to think twice.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Tony replied with a sigh.

“But please enlighten me,” he kept going, curiosity getting the better of him. “You’re telling me this because?”

Oddly enough, the engineering student didn’t know either.

He chose to voice the truth. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

Then came a pause, both men just sitting idly in their seats, attention away from their study materials. The tranquil quiet of the library had shifted slightly, with the previous presence of fellow students studying overnight being replaced with bigger groups who elicit much more noise.

Stephen sensed that this study session was coming to a close.

At that, he spoke, “I’m Stephen Strange, by the way.”

Tony smiled at the introduction. “Nice to meet you, Strange.”

“I’m assuming you’ll be here again tonight?”

“I’m here every night, baby,” he said in conviction, spreading his arms wide smugly.

“Then I’ll see you later,” he replied with just as much confidence, smirk on his lips as he closed the vast array of books, journals, and notebooks before stacking them all in a pile in his arms.

“Make sure to drink your coffee,” was Tony’s last remark, before the med student stalked off to return his resources and check out of the library back to his dorm room.

And in the span of a few nights, Stephen came to learn that Tony Stark was much more than they made him seem. He found himself guilty, to even consider believing the gossip about this brilliant future engineer who put just as much time and effort into his passions as the med student would. Getting to know the man proved that he deserved more than to be called a billionaire playboy.

Stephen was glad that he discovered that. He was glad that beyond extra knowledge, his all-nighters had given him a friend.

Wong would be proud to hear that, for sure.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. I know they're not a thing yet in this fic, but just imagine that development and slow burn with me, yeah?
> 
> I also hope that the ending wasn't lackluster or rushed. This isn't beta read, so I honestly have no clue if what I wrote in one sitting is good enough to publish. I hope you guys think it is?
> 
> Anyway, comments and kudos appreciated! Your feedback is forever welcome here.


End file.
